Hey guys!! Sorry its been a while... the title of this post may give the reason away; I have recently started my new job as a Radiology Department Assistant (RDA) and have been super busy working and when I'm not, I'm incredibly tired!!
A lot of my followers will be aware that I have suffered from pretty extreme anxiety since the age of 15/16 (around 8 years) and although I have had treatment for it in the form of medication and various types of therapy, it just hasn't gone away!! Over the years I have managed to keep it to a liveable level however every now and when something big in my life happens, it stirs it all up again.
Starting a new job after having a years break from uni led to what I thought I couldn't cope with. Despite believing that my anxiety was going to ruin this life changing event, I worked my way through it and I am now loving my new job (even if I do have wobbly days fuelled by anxiety!!).
I am going to let you all in to the ways in which I controlled my anxiety for the interview stage, the waiting game and actually getting my foot through the door of the hospital!!
The waiting game:
Applying for a job is the easy part. You've sold yourself and now you get that phone call/email/letter which tells you that the opposite party has bought what information you gave them. Brilliant!! Or is it? We are all told in advance when our interview is and most of the time its days if not weeks which gets our anxiety levels rising gradually.
Once the interview is done, we have to play the waiting game again for weeks or months in my case (5 months to get a start date!!) which again sees those anxiety levels creeping up on us.
Getting through the door:
This is possibly the toughest part. Knowing you can run away and never have to face up to it is the peak of the anxiety hill and for some people this peak will occur every morning before your shift starts.
Preparing yourself the night before and during the journey to your interview/new workplace is just as important if not more important than what you do as you approach the doors.
Starting the new job:
You might think that the 'starting a new job' experience lasts a week at most. It doesn't. You have already had days/weeks/months preparing yourself to start this job and once your foot is in the door, anxiety can pop back up at any point throughout your working life.
So what can you do about it!?:
Keep yourself busy during the time before starting and when you're not working. Pretty obvious really; if your mind is focused on something else, going for your interview or starting work won't be playing on your mind. It helps to stop the 'what ifs' and the worrying about what has already happened and could potentially happen.
Be prepared!! In an interview you will need to know the basics of the job you have applied for. Print off some information and read it until you know it back to front and upside down.
If you know you have to have 'work wear' for work that you don't own, go out and buy it!! Last minute stress is one of the worst things you could let yourself in for.
Get your uniform out the night before to save the rushing in the morning to find it. Get rid of nail varnish jewellery that is against work policy the night before too!! Oh, and pack your lunch in advance!!
Mindfulness has been my lifesaver over the past few months. Every now and again we let our minds run wild with worry about what has happened in the past but particularly (with anxiety sufferers) what is to come in the future. Mindfulness is about focusing on what is happening right now in this single second. There are some great YouTube videos, apps and online tutorials to help you be mindful. I personally use the Calm app on my phone so I know I can access it when I need it most.
Relax the night before. Have a bath, drink your favourite hot chocolate, mediate, read your favourite book, stick on your favourite film. Go to bed at a reasonable hour and try to fall asleep. If you can't sleep, do not turn to your phone as this will make falling to sleep much harder.
Make your journey a pleasant one. No matter how you get into work, your mind has time to run itself into the direction of anxiety!! Play up beat, feel good music and concentrate on the lyrics, take in your surroundings; be mindful and breathe deeply, in control and focus on the breaths.
Plan your breaks. One of the things that sets off my anxiety is having nothing to do and therefore doing nothing. This has been the case for a handful of my lunch breaks. To solve this, take something into work to keep your mind focused. I take books to read or my adult colouring books... they might even spark up a conversation with a colleague to pass some time.
Breathe. This may seem a silly one, but controlling and focusing on your breathing helps to calm your body and mind. Take deep breaths and notice it entering and leaving your body. You can do this without people being aware!!
These pointers are things that have helped me achieve the goal of getting through the hospital doors, into my work place and getting stuck in with my job. Of course I'm not saying they will work for everyone; you don't have to do all of them and there other things may work for better for you. Hope this helps!!
A lot of my followers will be aware that I have suffered from pretty extreme anxiety since the age of 15/16 (around 8 years) and although I have had treatment for it in the form of medication and various types of therapy, it just hasn't gone away!! Over the years I have managed to keep it to a liveable level however every now and when something big in my life happens, it stirs it all up again.
Starting a new job after having a years break from uni led to what I thought I couldn't cope with. Despite believing that my anxiety was going to ruin this life changing event, I worked my way through it and I am now loving my new job (even if I do have wobbly days fuelled by anxiety!!).
I am going to let you all in to the ways in which I controlled my anxiety for the interview stage, the waiting game and actually getting my foot through the door of the hospital!!
The waiting game:
Applying for a job is the easy part. You've sold yourself and now you get that phone call/email/letter which tells you that the opposite party has bought what information you gave them. Brilliant!! Or is it? We are all told in advance when our interview is and most of the time its days if not weeks which gets our anxiety levels rising gradually.
Once the interview is done, we have to play the waiting game again for weeks or months in my case (5 months to get a start date!!) which again sees those anxiety levels creeping up on us.
Getting through the door:
This is possibly the toughest part. Knowing you can run away and never have to face up to it is the peak of the anxiety hill and for some people this peak will occur every morning before your shift starts.
Preparing yourself the night before and during the journey to your interview/new workplace is just as important if not more important than what you do as you approach the doors.
Starting the new job:
You might think that the 'starting a new job' experience lasts a week at most. It doesn't. You have already had days/weeks/months preparing yourself to start this job and once your foot is in the door, anxiety can pop back up at any point throughout your working life.
So what can you do about it!?:
Keep yourself busy during the time before starting and when you're not working. Pretty obvious really; if your mind is focused on something else, going for your interview or starting work won't be playing on your mind. It helps to stop the 'what ifs' and the worrying about what has already happened and could potentially happen.
Be prepared!! In an interview you will need to know the basics of the job you have applied for. Print off some information and read it until you know it back to front and upside down.
If you know you have to have 'work wear' for work that you don't own, go out and buy it!! Last minute stress is one of the worst things you could let yourself in for.
Get your uniform out the night before to save the rushing in the morning to find it. Get rid of nail varnish jewellery that is against work policy the night before too!! Oh, and pack your lunch in advance!!
Mindfulness has been my lifesaver over the past few months. Every now and again we let our minds run wild with worry about what has happened in the past but particularly (with anxiety sufferers) what is to come in the future. Mindfulness is about focusing on what is happening right now in this single second. There are some great YouTube videos, apps and online tutorials to help you be mindful. I personally use the Calm app on my phone so I know I can access it when I need it most.
Relax the night before. Have a bath, drink your favourite hot chocolate, mediate, read your favourite book, stick on your favourite film. Go to bed at a reasonable hour and try to fall asleep. If you can't sleep, do not turn to your phone as this will make falling to sleep much harder.
Make your journey a pleasant one. No matter how you get into work, your mind has time to run itself into the direction of anxiety!! Play up beat, feel good music and concentrate on the lyrics, take in your surroundings; be mindful and breathe deeply, in control and focus on the breaths.
Plan your breaks. One of the things that sets off my anxiety is having nothing to do and therefore doing nothing. This has been the case for a handful of my lunch breaks. To solve this, take something into work to keep your mind focused. I take books to read or my adult colouring books... they might even spark up a conversation with a colleague to pass some time.
Breathe. This may seem a silly one, but controlling and focusing on your breathing helps to calm your body and mind. Take deep breaths and notice it entering and leaving your body. You can do this without people being aware!!
These pointers are things that have helped me achieve the goal of getting through the hospital doors, into my work place and getting stuck in with my job. Of course I'm not saying they will work for everyone; you don't have to do all of them and there other things may work for better for you. Hope this helps!!
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